Review: Willett Puts Its Own Distillate on Display

Bardstown-based Willett Distillery is known for its long-held status as a premier non-distiller producer. When the late, longtime owners, Even Kulsveen and his wife Martha, took control of the distillery in 1984, the stills had long since gone cold—halted in the late 1970s amid an industry downturn. Kulsveen kept the business afloat by buying up quality well-aged bourbons and ryes, most of which he bottled and sold as exports to Japan. In 2008, Willett came back into the picture stateside with the introduction of its now-iconic Willett Family Estate (WFE) label, often including ultra-aged single barrels that Kulsveen had picked in the prior decades. Even today, those Willett bottlings command eye-popping prices on the secondary market: a trio of bottles sold for a combined $42,000 this past July.

While its sourced releases continue to live in the spotlight, Willett has been focused on resurrecting its own production, restarting the stills in 2012. Those efforts have been shepherded by Even’s children—daughter Britt and son Drew. In 2014 their efforts saw the first results with the release of Willett Family Estate Small Batch rye, a 2 year old that was the first Willett whiskey distilled on-site in decades. A bourbon and a pot still reserve were also in the mix. (Over the years, the rye’s age statement got bumped up to 4 years.)

Accessible and Approachable

The latest expression, Willett Family Estate Small Batch bourbon, is an affordable 4 year old distilled entirely in-house. It’s a blend of two bourbons that will be released in individual batches, with each batch accounting for around 50 barrels. Some 70% of the blend has a high-rye mashbill (52% corn, 38% rye, and 10% malted barley) while the remaining 30% has a low-rye mashbill (72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley). Both of these components were barreled at 125 proof. The whiskey was aged for 4 years, but the distillery confirmed that blending is based on flavor and that the exact age will change from batch to batch. The final proof will also vary, with each batch released at cask strength without a set range of ABVs.

This expression was created by master distiller Drew Kulsveen, who says that the blending process for this project started with specific flavors in mind. He worked with 13 pilot blends and whittled them down to four over time. From there, the aim was to strike the right balance, which he found with the 70/30 blend. “The goal was to draw out the rye, spice, and fruit notes present in the larger mashbill with a high-rye content,” he says. “Those characteristics are balanced with the sweetness of the smaller mashbill, which delivers a healthier mouthfeel.”

On paper, that recipe is something of a departure from what we're used to seeing from Willett’s other bourbons, which tend to lead with high-corn mashbills. Its batched and blended labels like Johnny Drum Private Stock and Pure Kentucky actually use the exact same mashbills as the newcomer, but mixed in different ratios—with the low-rye bourbon being the star of the show, while its high-rye counterpart plays more of a background role. Johnny Drum blends the two components in a 65% low-rye/35% high-rye ratio, while Pure Kentucky label skews even sweeter as an 85% low-rye /15% high-rye blend. Kulsveen says this newcomer complements the higher-end single barrel releases, and adds that it represents the Family Estate label nicely while acting as an approachable and accessible entry into the portfolio.

The new bourbon is the first new expression following the passing of Drew’s father Even, Willett’s longtime leader who kept the business alive and spearheaded its revitalization over the decades.

How Does It Taste?

Willett Family Estate Small Batch Bourbon

Score: 88
ABV: 63.7%
SRP: $67
Availability: Nationwide

Dry and waxy on a closed nose, with faint aromas of honey, lemon butterscotch poking through. Lots of heat on the palate—water unlocks some honeyed sweetness, orange peel, vanilla, brown sugar, and tobacco. Still quite dry and spiky, with perhaps too much oak. The finish is vastly better in texture and balance, with sweet flavors of vanilla and red berries, and jalapeño spice. The potential is there, and can be tasted on the finish.—David Fleming